Is There Room For More?

For too many years, I took any rate an editor offered, for fear that I’d be thrown out the door if I negotiated, or written off as pushy and ungrateful. Then, in the summer of 2019, after 11 years as a full-time freelance writer, a phone call rewired my brain and saved my career.

I was writing a column for The Writer on the benefits of asking for more money, inspired by Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s admission that she received $4 a word when she freelanced. Among my sources was the great Frankie de la Cretaz, a veteran freelance writer whose essays and reporting explore gender and queerness in sports. We ran in similar circles—I write about sports, too. In the middle of our phone conversation, de la Cretaz mentioned that they always asked for more money from editors. 

They said it like this was something everyone did. I’ll get breakfast, brush my teeth, and then ask for another $300 for this story.  

To me, it was like discovering fire. If Frankie was doing this, and we’re colleagues, this was not the domain of the privileged few. This, I thought, was something I could—and more importantly—should do.    

I started slowly. If I felt the rate lacking, I tried the following line: Is there room for more? I wasn’t pushy, but inquisitive, polite. I rarely explained why I was asking for more. If a publication offered 10 cents a word for a 2,000-word story, what good was logic? I said “thank you” and moved on. 

My salary that year, 2022, increased by $10,000, and I attribute it to the phrase “Is there room for more?” Then, I decided to track how much my negotiations earned me. By my calculations, in 2023, I made an extra $4,000.

Like everyone, I have seen the media industry erode like a bar of soap in a backpacker hostel. Of course, I am worried about generative AI tools, and publications folding or laying off staff members with stunning regularity. Judging from group chats and social media posts, this year has felt particularly grim. Good news is rare; “I’m grateful for the opportunity” farewell posts are plentiful. 

Even with all the tumult, you should ask for more as well. If not, you’re leaving money on the table. 

As of mid-August, I was closing in on an additional $3,000 this year.  My biggest triumphs in 2024 include going from $2,250 to $3,500 for an article at a college alumni magazine, and a bump from 80 cents to $1 a word on a rushed longform assignment. The first draft for the latter came in at 5,700 words, an extra $1,000 at least. Every year, I now inquire with my nonprofit client about a pay increase. This year, I went from 90 cents to $1 a word. Poynter offered $750.00 for a Q&A; I countered with $1,000 and got it. 

Putting myself in a better position to succeed has become instinctive; I’m not afraid to quote a more robust rate. Instead of asking $500 a month for a consulting fee, I tried $750. The client didn’t object.